Ideological Universe of Xi Jinping

Abstract

The ideological universe of Xi Jinping is explored in three sections of this article: 1) Political orientations and theoretical interests of Xi Jinping; 2) Xi Jinping and Marxism; 3) Xi Jinping and traditional Chinese philosophy. Xi belongs to the “fifth generation” of CCP leaders born after the founding of the PRC in 1949. Their personality was formed under the conditions of the “cultural revolution”, when almost all of them were sent to the countryside for “physical re-education”. Representatives of the 5th generation received higher education and entered their active labor activity with the start of the “Reforms and Openness” policy. Before coming to Beijing as the leader of the PRC and the CPC, Xi Jinping went all the way from a grassroot cadre worker to the head of Shanghai. This allowed him to acquire the knowledge and experience needed to lead China. In fulfilling this mission, he is helped by a taste for theory, the desire to find answers to domestic and international problems in the works of both classics of domestic and foreign thought, and contemporary authors. Xi emphasizes the enduring importance of Marxism and disagrees that Marxism is supposedly obsolete. Xi Jinping has given a new lease of life to Marxism in China, and his approach to traditional Chinese philosophy differs significantly from that of his predecessors. The current leader of China not only promotes the “beautiful traditional Chinese culture”, but also puts forward the concept of combining it with classical Marxism and Chinese Marxism. This is the essence of his innovative approach. Xi emphasizes the need to borrow the cutting-edge achievements of world culture and philosophy, that is, the new Marxist doctrine he is creating has both Chinese and international connotations. And it's not just a slogan. A study of Xi Jinping's views allows us to conclude that he is not only a major leader, but also a serious theorist.